EPI Biographies

Mr. Manners

Lessons from Obama on Civility

Most public figures dread what photographs might reveal about them, but President Obama is one of the exceptions. His exemplary manners are caught on camera repeatedly enough to clearly be habit and not just for show, providing us with a model for day-to-day civility and graciousness. After all, manners aren't just for special occasions—although the Obamas attend plenty of those. The best manners come through seamlessly in the little moments that make up everyday life.

In Mr. Manners: Lessons from Obama on Civility, author and etiquette expert Anna Post demonstrates that President Obama is more than a political leader—he's also a worthy role model when it comes to good manners.

His intelligence and good looks notwithstanding, there's no doubt President Obama's courteousness played a significant role in his swift and historic rise to the highest office in the land. In Mr. Manners, Anna breaks down the president's manners, from the slightest kind gesture to the grandest of considerate deeds, and shows how we can apply such thoughtfulness in our own daily lives.

With photography capturing President Obama committing everyday acts of civility and complemented by Anna's fun yet authoritative commentary, Mr. Manners graciously reinforces the case that Emily Post and her descendants have been making for decades: courtesy is in our nation's best interest.

A modern etiquette expert, Anna covers topics ranging from green weddings and business etiquette to politics and pop culture. She has previously written for The Washington Post, HLN.com, USA Weekend, Reuters, CNN.com, The Huffington Post, Brides.com, and Dailyworth.com. Anna conducts business etiquette seminars across the country, working with clients such as Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Barclays, Nationwide, Stryker, Caltech, and Dartmouth College. She is also part of Ivy Funds’ Speakers Series. She also co-presents the Emily Post Business Etiquette Train the Trainer Course twice yearly in Burlington, Vermont.

Anna speaks at bridal shows and events, writes weekly for HuffPost Weddings' Manners Mondays, and is a columnist for Inside Weddings magazine. In 2012, she spoke at the TEDYouth Conference in New York. In addition, Anna has worked with companies such as Staples, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, Colgate, Intel, Pond's, The Body Shop, Princess Cruises, 3M, Hyatt Place Hotels, and Skype to promote their brands to national media.

Anna is a popular source for media outlets such as USA Today, The New York Times, the Associated Press, TheWall Street Journal, Time Magazine,The Los Angeles Times, BBC.com, and Real Simple, and has appeared many times on the Today Show, as well as on The Early Show, Good Morning America, MSNBC, FOX and Friends, and NPR.

Anna worked previously for the Motion Picture Association of America and in the Washington, D.C., office of Senator Patrick Leahy. A graduate of Phillips Academy, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Vermont. She currently lives in Burlington, Vermont.